“President Trump’s decision to fire the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation raises questions, and the Administration’s explanation for this dismissal lacks any clarity," Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Harrison) said.

Lowey said she was concerned the firing was related to an investigation into the president's ties to Russia.

"Any attempt to derail this investigation would be a threat to our very democracy," Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Harrison) said. “I join a bipartisan, bicameral group of my colleagues in renewing our calls for a special prosecutor and an independent, bipartisan Congressional commission to get to the bottom of the President’s ties to Russia.

Lowey said the American people demand the full, clear, and independent truth about President Trump’s connections to Vladimir Putin and the Russian government.

Congressman Eliot Engel (D-The Bronx) called the firing "astounding" and said it was one of the most troubling actions he had seen from a president since Watergate.

"I had my share of concerns over Mr. Comey’s recent actions as FBI Director, but firing Mr. Comey at the very moment a grand jury was summoning witnesses on the Trump-Russia scandal suggests an agenda of obstruction and obfuscation from the highest levels of the Trump Administration," Engel said. The White House’s explanation for this firing doesn’t pass the laugh test.

Engel also called for a special prosecutor and an independent investigation into Trump's ties to Russia.

Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney (D-Cold Spring) called the firing a "Tuesday night massacre", a reference to President Richard Nixon firing the special prosecutor investigating Watergate.

"This raises as many questions as it answers and the public deserves a real explanation from the President," Maloney said. "I only have two words - independent investigation."

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman also called for a special prosecutor to investigate Trump's ties to Russia.

"We need our leaders in Washington to put partisanship aside and call on President Trump and Department of Justice to do the right thing," Schneiderman said. The American people deserve nothing less."

Comey lived in Yonkers until his teenage years before his family moved to Allendale, N.J., where he graduated high school.

Comey is the grandson of William Comey, a longtime Yonkers police officer who became the department's commissioner.

Trump, who owns the $19 million Seven Spring estate in Bedford, also owns Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley in Stormville and Trump National Westchester in Briarcliff Manor. The Trump name also adorns Trump Tower At City Center in White Plains, Trump Plaza in New Rochelle, Trump Park Residences in Yorktown and the Donald J. Trump State Park on the Westchester/Putnam border.